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World Cup Preview: Will Belgium Prove Itself For Real in Group H?

Belgium's Axel Witsel, center, and Eden Hazard, right, congratulate Guillaume Gillet, left, after he scored against Croatia, during their World Cup 2014 Group A qualifying soccer match in Brussels, at the King Baudouin stadium, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012.

The 2014 World Cup's Group H is headlined by Belgium, a tiny country currently enjoying a special generation of talent. In a group that lacks any other prime contenders, the Red Devils will have to watch out for upset-minded challengers intent on entering the tournament's knockout stage in high style.

Making its first World Cup appearance since 2002, Belgium is led by a prodigiously talented crew of young players. In fact, they've been mentioned so many times as a 2014 dark-horse contender over the past several months that the label may no longer apply.

To make it to the knockout stage, the Red Devils will have to get through a trio of teams that — on paper, at least — they should have no trouble with. Russia is coached by Italian manager Fabio Capello and led by CSKA Moscow offensive threat Alan Dzagoev. Algeria has never advanced past the World Cup's group stage and lacks a true star, but looks much improved from the squad that didn't score a goal at the 2010 tournament. South Korea is a speedy, fun-to-watch team — but not one that always gets its desired results.

The schedule (all times in ET)

Belgium versus Algeria, June 17, Belo Horizonte, 12 p.m.

Russia versus South Korea, June 17, Cuiaba, 6 p.m.

Belgium versus Russia, June 22, Rio de Janeiro, 12 p.m.

South Korea versus Algeria, June 22, Porto Alegre, 3 p.m.

South Korea versus Belgium, June 26, Sao Paulo, 4 p.m.

Algeria versus Russia, June 26, Curitiba, 4 p.m.

4 players to watch

Eden Hazard (Belgium): The 23-year-old Chelsea attacker is one of the world's best young players. Hazard is not a big guy, but he's fast, skilled and has a knack for producing jaw-dropping highlights.

Alan Dzagoev (Russia): Dzagoev is another 23-year-old talent who will have to do big things in Brazil if his squad is to make any noise. He debuted for the Russian national team at just 18 years old and was among the Euro 2012 tournament's leading goal scorers.

Sofiane Feghouli (Algeria): Feghouli plays in the top-flight Spanish league for Valencia, where he's done well. He was born in Paris and chose to play for Algeria over France, despite having compete for Les Bleus at the under-21 level. His talent's not in doubt — but can he carry this Algerian squad to its first knockout stage appearance?

Ki Sung-yeung (South Korea): Ki pulls the strings as a central midfielder, both for Premier League club Sunderland and the South Korean national team. If South Korea's speedy strikers can find the net in Brazil, it will likely be thanks to Ki's skillful set-ups.

The prediction

Belgium will live up to its hype here and move on to the knockout stage, where we'll finally see what the Red Devils are really made of. Algeria will finally score a goal after being shut out in 2010, but not enough to get out of the group. South Korea will similarly acquit itself well, but ultimately Russia will join Belgium in the knockout stage.

Uniforms of the World Cup, from best to worst

1. Brazil

When Brazil looks to win its sixth World Cup on its home soil this summer, it'll do so in the utmost style. The yellow and blue numbers above stick close to the blueprint for the seleção's respective home and away kits. Meanwhile, the dark green alternate jersey provides a nice change of pace, right down those subtly striped shorts. To mix our sports metaphors, Brazil (with some help from Nike) knocks it out of the park. Final score: 10/10

Image: Nike

2. Spain

Adidas does a top-notch job of balancing tradition with innovation. The red home numbers reflect the look you expect from Spain, while the away versions offer something else entirely: A black base with neon green trim. Not every nation could pull this off, but the look fits perfectly with Spain's stacked squad of fearsome attackers and creative ball-handlers. Final score 9.6/10

Image: Adidas

3. Portugal

Another excellent study in contrasts. Portugal's red home kit is all fire and strength, while the away kit features a clean blue and white look. The Portuguese Football Federation's excellent patch, meanwhile, is a welcome addition to any shirt. Final score: 9.5/10

Image: Nike

4. Italy

Italy has one of the game's classic kits, year in and year out. Puma does that heritage justice here, with two equally excellent outfits. From the tiny collar on the blue home shirt to the light gray pinstripes on the white away kit, little details make a difference. Final score: 9.4/10

Image: Tom Oldham Photography/Puma

5. Germany

Another great contrasting look. The white home kit is clean, simple and traditional, while the away kit's deep red and black stripes give the attacking German squad some fearsome style. Final score: 9.2/10

Image: Adidas

6. Argentina

Argentina's vertically striped home kits are among the most iconic in soccer. Adidas does good job of not messing with tradition here, while the albiceleste's darker away duds look sharp too. Final score: 9.1/10

Image: Adidas

7. Netherlands

The Netherlands signature orange home shirts and excellent lion crest give Nike plenty to work with here. But it's the subtle designs on the blue away kit that really win us over. Final score: 9/10

Image: Nike

8. Mexico

Adidas does El Tri justice here with a killer green home kit (moving the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación's crest to the middle of the shirt is a nice touch). The blood-red away kits should look awesome in Brazil as well. Final score: 8.8/10

Image: Adidas

9. France

Less is more with France's 2014 kits from Nike. The blue home kit is classic and timeless, while horizontal gray striping takes the white away shirt to another level. Final score: 8.7/10

Image: Nike

10. Cameroon

Puma pulled out all the stops for Cameroon's green home jersey. The relief designs, vivid coloring and traditional lion crest (the squad's amazing nickname is the Indomitable Lions) add up to a classic. That gold away number isn't shabby either. Final score: 8.5/10.

12. England

Nike goes for a classic look on both England's home and away kits. Neither takes any real risks, but they both look pretty sweet. That yellow goalie shirt isn't bad either. Final score: 8.2/10

Image: Nike

13. Croatia

Those checkers! We have a feeling you'll either love or hate Croatia's unique national team kits, but we are definitely in the pro-check camp. The red and white checks look even better when used as trim on Croatia's blue away shirts. Final score: 8/10

Image: Nike

14. Belgium

Belgium's three looks offer plenty of variety but it's the big crown in-lay that goes a long way for us. Final score: 7.8/10

Image: Burrda Sport

15. Cote D'Ivoire

Puma deserves credit for letting the Ivory Coast's lovely green and orange colors do the heavy lifting here. The country's elephant crest is also among the coolest in soccer. Final score: 7.6/10

Image: Tom Oldham Photography/Puma

16. Ghana

Ghana's red away kits are sharp, but it's the creative trim around the collar of the home whites that will have the Black Stars looking extra-super in Brazil. Final score: 7.4/10

Image: Puma

17. Greece

Nike stuck to simplicity for Greece, and the result is a smooth look. Then again, that simplicity doesn't offer anything far out of the ordinary, landing these uniforms in the middle of our power rankings. Final score: 7.2/10

Image: Nike

18. United States

When Nike unveiled the multi-colored USA away kits this spring, many snarkily denigrated them for looking like a summer popsicle. We think they look mighty fine -- but those home white jerseys look too much like something you'd see at a Florida retirement village. Final score: 7/10

Image: Nike

19. Russia

Not bad, but far from transcendent. The white away kits do feature a unique design that we like. Final score: 6.7/10

Image: Adidas

20. Australia

Points for simplicity -- but not too many points. Final score: 6.6/10

Image: Nike

21. Switzerland

These are ... fine. Final score: 6.3/10

Image: Tom Oldham Photography/Puma

22. Uruguay

The blue-on-black home kits are kind of sweet, but this is the World Cup -- we're looking for greatness, not goodness. Final score: 6.2/10

Image: Tom Oldham Photography/Puma

23. Colombia

Again, good but not great (in our humble opinion, of course). Final score: 6/10

Image: Adidas

24. Algeria

Some nice touches -- the crescent moon and light green color give a good starting point -- but, overall, not a lot going on. Final score: 5.8/10

Image: Puma

25. Chile

Chile is an interesting dark-horse contender in Brazil, but its uniforms won't be generating a ton of buzz. We do like the red home kit's blue collar though. Final score: 5.7/10

Image: Tom Oldham Photography/Puma

26. Costa Rica

Ehhhh, these are okay. Final score: 5.6/10

Image: Lotto Sport

27. Ecuador

They definitely don't suck. But they definitely aren't that memorable, either. Final score: 5.5/10

Image: Marathon Sports

28. Nigeria

Nigeria's green and white flag offers a rich starting point, but we wish there was more going on here. Final score: 5.4

31. Iran

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